I managed to watch the whole of Kill La Kill without seeing the SKU connection that apparently everyone else thought was so obvious. Even the Akio car went over my head. With that said, I really enjoyed it for what it was: a crazy, crazy romp that is visually stunning, at times creepy but hardly ever serious. Even when it tries to bring on some genuine drama it did not resonate with me but the 'is this weirder than FLCL? I think so!' element kept me very entertained.

Nocturnalux wrote:

I managed to watch the whole of Kill La Kill without seeing the SKU connection that apparently everyone else thought was so obvious. Even the Akio car went over my head.

To be honest, I don't see it either, except for shots like the beginning of that sequence, that aren't ripping on SKU so much as drawing from the same style of shots that SKU uses. But if you want heavyhanded SKU-worship courtesy of Gainax, you watch the Eva rebuild movies.

No I'm serious. It's like bash your head into a wall blatant.

MMmmmmm more Kaworu.

Yeah Rebuild is pretty iffy

Giovanna wrote:

I have to do this, you see. But I don't want to.

False start #1:

Checked out about 30 seconds in. He's driving an old Corvette (oh don't worry, totally different from Akio's because it's all black) at high speed through LA with no traffic in his way.

I am fairly certain that Dollhouse is now officially my number one Joss Whedon show. I just finished Season 2, and I feel a terrible emptiness knowing there is nothing more to see, greater than any unresolved plots from Buffy or any lingering mysteries from Firefly. I want to spend more time in this world with these characters.

I'm pained by the obvious rush to finish the narrative in two seasons, and really wish the entire narrative could have developed properly in the fullness of time.

But wow, nearly every crucial moment of the show ripped me apart.

Yasha wrote:

We'd been teetering on checking out Dollhouse. I like the premise, and I thought it had potential. What you've said tips the balance a bit more-- it's definitely on the to-watch list now.

I really hope you like it.

I know that my tastes run contrary to a lot of fans, so it may not touch you two like it touched me.

But yeah...it got me. It got me good. I was hooked from episode 1, which is something neither Buffy nor Firefly did for me.

Giovanna wrote:

:sigh:

This is essentially like watching any of the Brosnan Bonds after Goldeneye. The guy playing Lucifer is actually quite good at it and pulls off a great character. But the script and setting around him is complete shit and it's absolutely horrid. I can't see this surviving to a season two, and I don't think I could make myself watch more than the pilot.

It's a shame, because Carey's Lucifer IP is one of my few favorites. I hate seeing it get pissed on.

We've watched the first three episodes. I really like Tom Ellis, Lauren German is pretty good, Rachael Harris has a great time with her role, and Scarlett Esteves is pretty endearing as far as kid actors go. And... that's it. We keep watching because Tom Ellis is just so utterly charming and also they show him shirtless a couple times every episode, but honestly, I am fucking over procedurals. FUCK SUPERNATURAL PROCEDURALS. THERE IS GRIMM, THERE IS NEW XFILES*, THERE IS SLEEPY HOLLOW, FOREVER GOT CANCELLED. Fucking hell, you could even lump gimmicky procedurals, like iZombie or Castle in there. I'M FUCKING DONE WITH IT ALL.


*which I don't really care about since I never watched they original, but there's an episode with Rhys Darby that I caught while making dinner that was pretty awesome. Of course, Rhys Darby is just unutterably darling.

In love with Ladybug and Cat Noir at the moment. Cute. Good fights. And, I don't have to worry about dropping in and out as someone who can't keep up with serial tv well.

Lucifer has definitely been put on the backburner, as something I'll stream with my mom sometime when we both need something in the background for several hours, but probably won't touch again until then.

Rewatching a lot of Masters of Horror these days, and god that was an amazing tv series. Strong. Amazing directors. Great casts. Excellent scripts, often from wonderful source material. I've got The Screwfly Solution on right now and it's just brutally unrelenting in the best way. Too weird to die, too good to stay on the air more than two seasons.

So....the American Gods trailer

The American Gods trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyoXURn9oK0

I keep seeing ads for Stranger Things and it does seem very cool, has something of an oldschool X Files vibes to it.

I am currently watching A Beautiful Mind, the ongoing K-drama. In many ways it is a few notches above series in the same vein so I am enjoying it quite a lot. Despite a less than wise choice in title (it immediately brings to mind the movie) it is actually rather original as far as K-drama goes. It follows a genius neurosurgeon who happens to suffer from antisocial personality disorder, lacking the ability to develop a sense of empathy. Then there is the typical very sweet female love interest to be and the third side of the triangle, a conflicted doctor. That is the typical template of the romantic K-drama series that in this case becomes less dull in that there is a mystery that results in a series of murder cases.

The almost episodic nature of the story with plenty of standalone medical cases and crises is very welcome as it injects suspense and genuine emotion into what could otherwise simply be a less than believable romance. The acting is very good as is so often the case in Korean drama but the writing is usually on point as well and avoids a lot of the most infuriating tropes such as the constant loop of flashbacks.

With all this said, it still has some issues. It stretches coincidences a lot, expect everyone to accidentally bump into the plot revelant person in the middle of Seoul. But more importantly, the antisocial personality disorder angle is a bit odd. Jang Hyuk does his best but his role is scripted in a way that is more akin to autism than anyting else. His lack of empathy forms the core of his character but the way he stares out into the distance, fails to notice nuance in language, cannot read facial expressions and body language unless he deliberately tries and relies so heavily on literal meanings seems to indicate autistic traits more than antisocial personality disorder.
This is rather baffling and all the more so in that the series tends to go somewhat technical about medical aspects. It becomes even stranger given that time and time every single character that is equipped to diagonise and has studied his condition states that he cannot feel emotions. Despite the fact that he expresses anger on plenty of occasions and often in the presence of said characters.

The series is the Korean response to Doctor House, in many ways. But since it is first and foremost a K-drama effort, it is full of fluttery moments and clunky romance that will probably become more a presence as the story progresses. It takes a very common premise of cold hearted arrogant male lead whose heart is thawed by spunky girl and frames it in extreme terms.

Last edited by Nocturnalux (07-30-2016 09:46:24 PM)

Only four vaguely ninety minute episodes, but Gilmore Girls is the first tv I've had to take in all at once, in a long time. And, I'm so used to here, I forget how awkwardly prudish the fandoms of other slash-happy and ship-crazed shows can be.

Sex is bad, mmmkay?

Neither of these are on TV where I am but I'm watching Gi(a)rlish Number and Aria the Animation. I really like both so far!